In just one day, a dog can produce 5 billion fecal coliform bacteria. It takes only 400 bacteria to contaminate a cup of water. That means in 24 hours, one dog can contaminate 12,500,000 cups of water. That’s a LOT of water.

Viruses, worm eggs and bacteria in poop can live as long as one year, depending on conditions.

Job #2: Scoop the poo

No joke. Picking up poop is NOT the best part of having a pet, but it’s in the job description. Otherwise, you’re risking a Revenge of the Turds situation that could harm the health of your pet, your kids, even the shellfish you have for dinner. When it rains, bacteria in pet poop travels very easily from backyards, parks, and trails to the nearest stream or storm drain. Healthy kids, pets, fish. It’s all connected.

About Poop Smart

The Poop Smart campaign is focused on keeping water clean for people, pets, agriculture, and fish and wildlife. Bacteria in poop (fecal coliform bacteria) can cause diseases such as gastroenteritis, ear infections, dysentery, or hepatitis A if ingested. People and pets can be exposed by swimming, wading, or eating shellfish from waters with high bacteria levels. Common backyard sources include leaking septic systems, livestock manure and pet waste.

The Poop Smart campaign supports the Pollution Identification and Correction (PIC) program, a partnership between Skagit County, the Washington Departments of Ecology and Agriculture, the Skagit Conservation District, and others.

Contact information

For questions or more details, please contact Karen DuBose at [email protected] or 360-416-1460.

Sponsored by

Skagit County Public Works

Environmental Protection Agency

This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement PC01J18001-0 to the Washington Department of Health. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.